Motor-propelled lawn cutter and roller.



PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

W. P. ANTHONY MOTOR PROPELLED LAWN CUTTER AND ROLLER APPLICATION FILEDMAR. 14. 1901.

3SHEETSSHEET l.

No. 799,024. PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

W. P. ANTHONY.

MOTOR PROPELLBD LAWN CUTTER AND ROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1901.

(iSHEETS-SHBIIT 2 ZLWWMM PATENTED SEPT. 12, L305.

W. P. ANTHONY.

MOTOR PROPELLBD LAWN CUTTER AND ROLLER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB.14, 1901.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

dbietmm a an vani'oz, 91

III N vllll ll UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

\VENUELL l. AN'Il-IONY, ()F RIDLEY PARK, ll LNSYlAfiNlA, ASSIUNOR 'l()WILLIAM l. SIMPSON, ()F OVERBROUK, PENNSYLVANIA.

MOTOR-PROPELLED LAWN CUTTER AND ROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12. 1905.

Anal ,f tioU tiled March 14,1901- Serial No. 51,151.

engine /i, which, as shown, is a steam-engii'ie,

ley Park, Delaware county, State of lennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in .\l0torPropelled Lawn (utters andRollers. of whica the following-is a pecification.

My invention relates to lawn mowers and rollers thatare actuated bypower; and it eonsists in certain improvements whereby to secureincreased elliciency in the apparatus. as fully set forth hereinafterand as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is aside view of the apparatus in part section: Fig. 2, a plan view, andFig. 3 a sectioi'ial part plan.

The frame rt isof any suitable construction and is supported at the rearby a traction and lawn-rolling roller c, which may in some instances becoi'itinuous. but which, as shown,

is in two sections, the inner ends abutting with a shaft 1/, about whichthe roller turns. A smrmnlary frame supports the lawn mower or cuttersf, which may be of any and in order that the said engine may operatewith the desired rapidity, while at the same time imparting to theapparat' s that relatively slow movement which is demanded inconsequence of the necessarily slow advance of the mower devices, whileat the same time avoiding the objections to direct gearing between theengine and the tr.-1ction-wheels, i make use of a counter-shaft andgearing between the engine and traction-rollers. As shown, the shaft .3of the engine is provided with a sprocket-w!icel t. and thecounter-shaft j 6 is provided with sprocket-wheels T and 8,

suitable cmistruction, the said frame being:

supported by wheels or drums at its opposite as, for instance, by a drum1/ in two sections at the rear and swivclcd or caster wheels w at thefront. Any other suitable roller-support for the frame A may, howm'cr,be employed.

The two frames 1/ b are flexibly connected, so that each may accommodateitself to the inequalities of the ground without straining theconnections and preferably so that the frame may swing about a pivotalpoint in such manner as to constitute a guiding-truck for thrmain frame.shown, the forward end of the frame it rests upon a block 31 of 5 theframe 6, which block is recessed to receive a pivot-pin 34, extendingdownward from the frame 1/, so that; the frame 6 may turn about saidblock and may also swing laterally and longitinlinally independently ofthe frame 1/, thus securing the desired positive but flexible connectionbetween the two frames.

the said counter-shaft turningin hearings on the main frame, and asprocket-chain 1 passes from the wheel 1% to the wheel 7 and asprocketchain/ from the wheel n to a wheel 5 upon the shaft. u of thetraction-rolls. By this means I am able to proportion the gears so as topermit the engine to operate at any desired rate of' speed (which isadvantageous in the case of steam-engines and essential in the case of agasengine) and at the same time limit the rate of movement of theapparatus to the capacity of travel of the mower devices.

lleretofore in power-driven apparatus provided with lawn-rollers orroad-rollers it has been common to secure the roll, or both sections ofthe roll, to the shaft, so that they turn therewith, an zu'rangcmentwhich is not objectionable in the case of imul-rollers, but which isverydetrimental to a lawn in the case of a power-driven lawn-mower, as achange of direction of the machine results in a drag of one of thewheels or rolls that is injurious to the grass. in order to avoid thisobjection. I intcrposo between the sections of the roll a compensatinggear. ;\s shown, this is so arranged that the inner ends of the twosections of the roll may be brought closely toqethelr, so that not onlyis the eompei'isating gear covered and protected, but the streaking orribbing ot the grass, which results if the two roll-sectionsareseparated, isavoided. As slpwn, the shaft 1/ turns freely in the ends ofeach roll-section and carries a spider r, with Any suitable m ans may beemployed for swinging the frame/1 as. for instance, the screw-shaft it,turned by gearing from a hand whecl l8 and passing through a not upon astandard 12, projecting rom one side of the frame Zr.

[' on the frame 1/, is mounted a motor or radial studs about which turnbevel=pinions.\-, gearing with bevel-wheels I at the inncrends of theroll-sections, as shown in Fig. 3.

in the use of certain classes of burners as, for instance, certain formsof vapor-burners the burner 2t) i'--'se (.-.urcd below the boiler 2. soas to be detachable therefrom, and it is necessary to so supportthe-boiler asto permit ready detachment. I secure this result by the useof side brackets m m, each bolted same rapidly in connection with asharpening 4 device. ()ne means consists in rotating the g cutter-head35 backward, with the edges of the blades against the cutter-blade 36.In order to permit this to be done by power, I interpose between theengine and the gear for driving the roll aa clutch device u, which maybe thrown out to permit the engine to operate without driving thetraction-rolhand I provide gearing between the engine and the rotatingcutter? As shown, the clutch u is operated by means of a lever 40, andagroov'ed roll t] is secured toa screw-shaft 42, adapted to a threadedsocket in the end ofthe shaft of the cutter -head 35, and a similargroovedv wheel 44 is upon a screw-shaft 45, adapted to. a threadedsocketin the end of the crank-shaft; 3 of the engine. The lever 60operates to connect and disconnect the usual clutch between the shaft ofthe driving-roll (i and the gears for driving the rotary cutter 35therefrom. v i When the mower is to be sharpened, the grooved wheels 414A! are secured in place and .a belt 46 is passed around both of them,the

clutch u is disconnected, and the engine'started in operation .in thereverse direction, determined by the reversing-lever 50.

I do not here claim any of the features shown and described and whichare set forth and claimed in the United States Letters Patent of W. P.Simpson, No. 706,864, dated August 12, 3902 as these features are notany invention. L

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, I claim as my invention '1, The combination in a combinedlawn roller and cutter, of a main frame, a drivingroll, a rolling-rollprovided with a frame jointed to the main frame to swing and rockindependently thereof, a cutter-frame supported to swing about the shaftof said rolling-roll, and a motor and gearing whereby to drive thedriving-roll therefrom at a reduced speed, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the main frame and cutter frame connected torock transversely independently of each other, ,of .a mowerframecarrying a roller and a rotary cutter driven therefrom, an enginecarried by the main frame, and traction and rolling roll, gearing and aclutch device between the engine .and the said roll, and means forrotating the rotary cutter from said engine to sharpen the cutters,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name 'tothis specification in thepresence of two subscribingv witnesses.

i WENDELL P. ANTHONY. Witnesses: Geo. E. SMALL,

Tnos. E. STRING.

